Italy’s Consumer Confidence Weakens; Business Morale Improves
Italy’s consumer confidence decreased for the first time in five months in March, survey results from the statistical office Istat showed on Thursday.
Consumer sentiment dropped to 96.5 in March from 97.0 in the previous month.
Among components, the personal climate index fell to 94.6 in March from 95.2 in February. The index measuring the current climate decreased to 96.0 from 97.0, while the economic climate remained almost stable at 101.9. The future climate index rose somewhat to 97.2 from 97.1.
The data also showed that the composite business confidence index improved to 97.0 in March from 95.9 in February.
The index measuring sentiment among manufacturers climbed to a 7-month high of 88.6 from 87.5. In construction, the index rose from 102.5 to 105.8. Similarly, confidence strengthened in both market services and retail trade.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.